This fresh peach pizza with pancetta and fresh basil is the perfect summertime dinner. Drizzle a little balsamic vinegar over the top or switch the cheese from ricotta to goat cheese for a sweet and spicy slice of crispy pizza.
On my quest to find all the best peach recipes ever to use my favorite summer fruits, I stumbled across this amazing peach pizza recipe in The Peach Truck Cookbook.
I couldn't resist whipping up a batch of my favorite homemade pizza dough and baking up a sweet and spicy peach pizza with crispy pancetta and fresh basil one weekend afternoon.
When the fresh peaches are sweet and juicy and perfectly ripe, they bake up perfectly on top of this homemade pizza.
There are several delicious variations you could do to make this recipe your own, be sure to see the variation notes at the bottom!
Ingredients
This pizza recipe has 3 core elements:
- Homemade Pizza Dough: You could substitute a pizza crust from the grocery store or canned pizza dough if you want to keep it simple.
- White Garlic Pizza Sauce: I shared this part of the recipe separately here so you can use it with other pizza toppings if you want to get creative.
- The Peach and Basil Topping: Shredded mozzarella, ricotta cheese with basil stirred in, sliced peaches, and crushed red pepper flakes for heat.
There are opportunities to adjust the recipe in all three of those elements but if you want to follow it all as directed, you will need:
- Pizza Dough or Crust
- Pancetta: An Italian style bacon found near the deli department. You could substitute American bacon if you prefer.
- Fresh Shallot: You could substitute a mild onion.
- Minced Garlic
- Heavy Cream
- Shredded Mozzarella
- Ricotta Cheese
- Fresh Basil
- Fresh Peach
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Vegetarian Substitution
For vegetarians, skip the pancetta and just use 2 tablespoons of olive oil to saute the veggies for the garlic white sauce.
Prep the Cheese Topping
I loved the mix of ricotta cheese and fresh basil that is spooned in dollops over the top of the pizza.
You simply mix chopped fresh basil into ¼ cup of ricotta in a mixing bowl and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
You could skip this if you don't like ricotta and substitute with goat cheese or chunks of provolone cheese if you prefer.
Prep the White Sauce
I absolutely loved the garlic white sauce for the pizza base.
Traditional tomato pizza sauce and peaches would not be a combo I think I'd enjoy.
This garlic cream sauce lets the sweetness of the peaches stand out and only takes 10 minutes to finish.
For full instructions, you can see the step by step photos for the white sauce here but I included the instructions in the peach pizza recipe card below for your convenience.
Slice the Peaches
Leave the skin on the peach. Simply wash it and then cut it into thin half-moon slices away from the pit.
Assemble the Peach Pizza
Roll out the pizza dough on a piece of parchment.
Brush olive oil around the edge of the crust before you spread the prepared garlic white sauce over the top.
Top the sauce with shredded mozzarella, crispy pancetta, dollops of the prepared ricotta cheese and basil, and tons of fresh peach slices.
Bake the Pizza
Preheat your oven to 450°F with a pizza stone on the center rack.
I let it all heat up while I'm doing the work of prepping the pizza so the stone gets a chance to get super hot.
Use the parchment paper to transfer the pizza onto the stone and bake for 12 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Slice the pizza and serve with more fresh basil over the top.
But be warned! Fresh basil will turn black if it sits too long on the hot pizza top. You may want to serve it after the pizza has cooled for 5 minutes or in a bowl at the table to let your family sprinkle it on top themselves.
Variations
There are a few really fun ways you could play with this peach pizza recipe:
- Peaches and Corn Pizza: Have a few leftover cobs of fresh corn in the fridge? Slice the corn from the cob and sprinkle that on top with the peaches.
- Peaches, Goat Cheese, Balsamic Vinegar: This is the variation I'm trying next. Skip the ricotta and add dollops of goat cheese. Drizzle the top with balsamic glaze from Trader Joe's.
- Peach Caprese Pizza: Add slices of fresh tomato with the peaches and substitute small balls of fresh mozzarella for the ricotta.
- Peach Pizza with Prosciutto: I LOVE prosciutto but it is a much more delicate ham than the pancetta. Skip the pancetta and add strips of prosciutto before serving.
- Spicy Peach Pizza: Add roasted peppers and/or slices of fresh jalapeno to the top of the pizza before baking.
📖 Recipe
Peach Pizza
Ingredients
- ½ batch pizza dough
- 2 oz diced pancetta
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup whole-milk ricotta cheese or goat cheese
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Sprinkle of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 peach pitted and cut into thin slices
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F with a pizza stone in the center of the oven.
While the pizza dough finishes rising, prepare the toppings:
- In a small skillet, brown the pancetta for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crispy bacon bits to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- Saute the shallot and garlic in the pancetta drippings over low heat until softened. Add the heavy cream and stir until the cream has thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Combine the ricotta or goat cheese with salt, pepper, and basil in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
Prepare the Pizza:
- Roll the pizza dough out to a 12-inch circle on a piece of parchment. Brush the outer 1-inch edge with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Spread the cream mixture over the center of the pizza, leaving the oiled crust plain.
- Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the top. Sprinkle the reserved pancetta evenly over the cheese.
- Drop dollops of the basil-cheese mixture over the top. Scatter peach slices evenly over the top. Sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes on top.
Baking Instructions:
- Use the parchment paper to transfer the pizza to the baking stone in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes or until the outer crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted.
- Garnish with additional fresh basil as desired, slice and serve.
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